I know I’ve said this many times in previous posts, but I have been so impressed by Brazilian hospitality. My students and colleagues are always inviting me out and into their homes for family events, and even complete strangers will befriend you in the grocery story and invite you over by the time you’re checking out. An older woman on the bus once invited me over for dinner after a 5-minute conversation about how hot it was. It just seems that everyone wants to invite you over, feed you, and show you how wonderful their city is. I have felt so welcomed and included from my first days in Belém, and the feeling is still the same months later.
This past weekend, my student Junior invited me along with two of his classmates to meet his family in his hometown of Abaetetuba, Pará, which is a boat and bus ride outside of Belém. Junior makes this commute every weekend to be back in Belém for class during the week. It amazes me how dedicated so many of my students are in getting their education. Many of them come in by boat every morning from their homes outside of Belém and some have up to a 3-4 hour commute to make a 7:30am class. 
The views there and back are absolutely gorgeous. The river is just beautiful, and the houses sit so peacefully amongst the lush trees. Many people make the commute form Belém to Abaetetuba, so the bus was quite full on our way. We had to stand the whole way there, but the views made it all worthwhile. 
Junior lives within walking distance of a river beach, and we spent most of the day there.
His family hosted us, and we ate very well. The weekend was so relaxing-- good times with good people.
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